Daily painting: Le Chateau des Chats

Aafke.Art

Well, not quite a ”daily painting”, this one took three days. Architecture is a lot of work, and this one is complicated as well. But I really love architecture. From rococo to Mies van der Rohe. (Now that is an idea… a zebra in the Barcelona pavilion). I love this little building, and while I was painting the cats kept popping up, and ended up on the painting.  And you will have to imagine that inside the pavilion is filled with small velvet cat-couches, and cats lounging about…

This is painted in oil on canvas painters board, it’s a ”tondo”, a circular shaped painting.

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Dallas sunset

Aafke.Art

I have seen some spectacular sunsets here in Dallas.
Here’s one, # 2 in the ”36 views of the Dallas Skyline”
Part of my ”(almost) daily painting” project.

Oil on panel
6” by 6”

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A rare rainy day in Dallas

Aafke.Art

New project, some of the ”Daily Paintings” are going to show the Dallas skyline, and I plan on making 36 of them. Yes, just like Hokusai’s very famous, ”36 views of mount Fuji” (of which there are 46). Anyway, here is the very first of them:

A rare rainy day in Dallas
oil in panel
6” by 6”

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Daily Painting: Dachshund

Aafke.Art

This adorable little lady is 16 years old! She has gone all grey in her face.
I had only two small dark photos to work from, but her personality came out so strong! I really enjoyed painting her.

Oil on panel

6” by 6”

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Daily painting: Tea bowl and natsume

Aafke.Art

I don’t think I have been bantering yet about studying Chado have I? The Japanese tea ceremony is not really a ceremony, in Japan it’s ”Water for tea”, and that’s all it is. But there is so much to be done in making hot water and a perfect bowl of tea! The same tea can taste different depending on who makes it.
It is very relaxing and meditative. It makes you very aware of your movements, how you handle things, and what you are doing. I see it as part of my art training.

Here is my daily painting; a raku tea bowl, a ”spinning top” natsume, which holds the powdered tea, and they are standing on a folded antique fukusa, a cover for gifts.

Oil on panel, 6” by 6”

This was fun to paint, I wanted to show spontaneity, rather than an obsessive focus on perfection. Although the…

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Two Chow Chows

Aafke.Art

This is a painting from some years ago, I got a commission to paint two ChowChows. It was the first time I met real ChowChows!

I made some sketches and photographs and went home. I needed to think this over, when I first met them these ChowChows seemed like giant fur balls with the only difference a slight shift in the colour. But they were dogs with distinctive personalities. And the more I looked at them the more detail I saw, the more their own personality did show.

The owner was happy, which makes me happy.

It is a smallish painting, 10” by 10”, acrylic on painters board. Or marouflé as I prefer to call it, sounds far more ”chique” don’t you think?.

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Pete the Qatari Cat

Aafke.Art

Remember the ”Cat from the ninth circle of hell”?
(Which he wasn’t, he was a lovely cat)

Well, he was really named Pete and he passed away.

Pete was a very special cat, P asked me if I still had the apinting of Pete and I did, but to make P happy I also painted a proper portrait of him.

It’s oil on panel, 6 by 6 inches

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Daily painting, the Tarq enjoying a good roll

Aafke.Art

The Tarq is doing so well! He is very happy, he is enjoying himself, and apart from me having to give him his snacks, apples and carrots, in his trough, you’d never know anything has ever happened!

He is finally shedding his winter coat. He is looking very shabby now, And so I spend a lot of time brushing him. After which he needs to get a bit more of a bohemian look back. That’s what I think. Otherwise…
why?
WHY????

I used a really limited palette for this painting,

Yet look at the range of colours!

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Jagger, daily painting

Aafke.Art

”Jagger” 10” x 10” oil on painters board

Jagger is a great dog.

It started off with an umber base, and used soft colors for the base. I decided on painting in a light simple background to Keep all focus on the dog.

A bit more definition. I did not want to get too finicky.

And the finished portrait!

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Haute Cuisine for Cavemen! bookreview

Aafke.Art

A new cookbook by chef Pete Evans and it’s all Paleo! I am Paleo, so I was very excited to get this book. And even though I had high expectations it did not disappoint. You know how having too high expectations can lead to an anti-climax. ”The Paleo Chef” starts off with a short chapter on Paleo, why it is a lifestyle and not a diet or fad. Why it is so much better for you to eat Paleo, and why quality of food matters. Very condensed, but the basics of the Paleo lifestyle are all covered.

The recipes are great, the ones I have tried were all easy to make and super yummie. Maybe not a beginner’s book, I did not find it completely ”easy” and ”fast”. Probably for a real chef they are, but for a run-of-the-mill home cook they are quite involved. Actually very exciting!!! Be prepared…

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